Auburn Recruitment 2011 - 17 jewels!

[HQWest]

I think part of the problem is that girls still expect to walk into the chapter room and have this epiphany that "This is home," but a lot of girls don't get that right away (or not until initiation.) If its not for you, its not for you, and its better to walk away beforehand than after initiation.

Several chapters at Auburn had COB in spring last year but not all of them. Girls need to be open minded though....

[DubaiSis]

It's the unicorns pooping rainbows fallacy. It doesn't happen. This is the same reason a lot of girls depledge after 2 weeks. They don't have friends who break out in song every time they walk through the door. Formal rush is a bizarre completely contrived way to make friends, but unfortunately it's the system we're stuck with. And at places like Auburn, Bama, Ole Miss, you take the leap of faith when you have the chance or you likely will never get that chance again. Not never - girls do rush as sophomores and get in - but unlikely.

[pam713]

Tigerfanx5, your daughter's recruitment sounds so much like the experience that my daughter had, as well. I suspect that it is the same experience shared by many, many girls at Auburn. In my daughter's case, it wasn't that she didn't like the groups that invited her back to pref, it was that she had been focused on a couple of other groups and her pref invite chapters just hadn't been on her radar as much. Was she madly in love with her chapter on bid day? Probably not. Is she madly in love with those girls now? Absolutely!

[tigerfanx5]

pam713 -- I agree with you! I think most of the stories are more like our daughters. I'm so happy for both of them that they stuck it out until the end! I think most of these stories truly do have a happy ending, even if the journey was a little rocky.

I guess going in everyone thinks that it's going to happen to someone else, but not me. Then when the reality check comes, some can't or don't want to handle it.

There's no way to make some people understand that all the chapters at Auburn can provide incredible lifetime opportunities. I think that's sad!

[Low C Sharp]

It has been said on this site before by women smarter at this stuff than me that "not feeling a connection" may be an actual reason to quit if you have a chapter of, say, 30 girls. But in a chapter of 200 women I patently do not accept the no connection argument.

I was thinking of those earlier posts, too. If you're a fit for Auburn, and you're a fit for SEC sorority life in general, it's just hard to imagine that you can't find friends in any group of 200 peers. Sure, I've known women who truly couldn't be comfortable in XYZ at Auburn, but they don't belong in an Auburn sorority at all.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

I was thinking of those earlier posts, too. If you're a fit for Auburn, and you're a fit for SEC sorority life in general, it's just hard to imagine that you can't find friends in any group of 200 peers. Sure, I've known women who truly couldn't be comfortable in XYZ at Auburn, but they don't belong in an Auburn sorority at all.

Exactly. But it's easier to blame it on the individual sorority than to admit that kind of sorority life just isn't "you" - especially if you've grown up thinking that it should/would be.

Greek life in general is not for everyone, and Greek life at every school is not for everyone. Yes, there are people who can go from Traditional Southern School to West Coast Hippie School to Jersey Shore School and enjoy them all equally, but they are few and far between.

[MOMto2]

I really don't understand all the negativity here, especially targeted at a distraught mom who is just looking for information for her daughter.

Despite the many posts on here about quota being reached by all chapters, there should still be several COB opportunities at Auburn. During my dd's last two years, I know of many girls who received COB bids from many different chapters.

[katydidKD]

Originally Posted by MOMto2

I really don't understand all the negativity here, especially targeted at a distraught mom who is just looking for information for her daughter.

Despite the many posts on here about quota being reached by all chapters, there should still be several COB opportunities at Auburn. During my dd's last two years, I know of many girls who received COB bids from many different chapters.

People were very kind to her when they were under the impression her daughter was released from recruitment. But mommy's little unique snowflake princess who didn't get the sororities she wanted doesn't get sympathy.

[baci]

Very kind of you to share^^

[MomofPNM11]

Thanks for your great advice, Tigerfan! What you describe is exactly what happened to my daughter. 2nd round schedule was full and great. In the 3rd round the axe fell. She has 3 chapters left at present (out of only 8 total on campus) so I consider that a very positive thing. I am trusting the process and a higher power - sorry, that does not refer to the NPC

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by shirley1929

Where do you get your statistics on this 99%? Sorry to snark, but there's a poster (can't remember who) who gets very hung up on stats and where they came from...

Originally Posted by shirley1929

And I apologized for it! But the fact of the matter is, there really is a poster who will challenge you on where statistics come from, so if you throw it out there, you should be willing to back up the claim. Otherwise it's just nonsense.

Hello!

That would be me.

I am not hung up on statistics. If you search my posts, you'll find that I do research for a living, at a University, and that I ask for DATA. Statistics derive from data. That's a whole different animal. Never did I use the word "nonsense";and I don't "challenge", I request data. Pure and simple. Keep it clean. The assertions that get passed off as truth on the board are about as useful as "but Mom, everyone's doing it."

Interestingly, the data I've been given on mothers/fathers attending Bid Day has been very sparse and does not support the assertions/claims that it is "everywhere." AAMOF it isn't even enough reporting for me to report back to anyone. Remember:GIGO.

tigerfanx: awesome posts on your daughter's experiences at Auburn. Woot! I hope to hear more from you.

[AUKD]

So happy for your daughter, AuburnMom85! My daughter pledged Phi Mu btw =)

[AuburnMom85]

Again, my heart breaks for any and all that did not get placed. I don't think it's our job to judge the decisions or actions of others, unless they ask for our opinion or advice. I don't know what made A stand out enough to get her bid. Sure, I think she's great....but I'm realistic enough to know she was probably just average on paper. I DO think she probably did really well one on one with some of the groups. I know from talking with her that the Ice Water Teas were pretty superficial...not a lot of time to really do much talking. From that point on, though, some of the stories and conversations A had were pretty funny and memorable. She relaxed and didn't try to "over impress". She certainly had some painful cuts along the way, but ended up right where she belonged!

[AuburnMom85]

My post cut off.....

I was going to give an update on A, B and C. All are doing well and had a good first week at Auburn! They all actually have a class together, so that is fun for all three.

A and B are are on pledge retreat this weekend. It will be an awesome time for them to get to know their pledge sisters and other sisters in Alpha Gam. I can't wait to her from her!

C is doing just fine. She left Auburn for a few days after getting released, just to get away. Since being back, she has already gotten involved in a local church group. I think she will continue to get involved on campus, too. Auburn offers so many possibilities to be active and involved. Her mother is still having a hard time with it all.
On "paper", C was possibly the strongest of the three PNM. She started out with the most callbacks, but I wonder if she possibly ranked some sororities that would have been a better fit for her too low. We will never know exactly what happened, I guess.

[dukemama]

Originally Posted by AuburnMom85

I wonder if she possibly ranked some sororities that would have been a better fit for her too low.

That's exactly what I did when I rushed as a freshman, and boy did it bite me in the ass. I had NO REASON to believe I would have been a good fit in a "top tier" sorority, yet because they were the most popular they were the only ones I focused on. Why was I so surprised, then, when every group on campus cut me? Oh, the stuipidity of youth!